In Beijing, China marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and its role in defeating Japan, by holding an enormous military parade and declaring a new national holiday. The spectacle involved more than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military hardware, and 200 aircraft of various types, representing what military officials said were the Chinese military's most cutting-edge technology. While the entire event was a show of strength, Chinese officials insisted the message was about peace, with the logo displayed on posters featuring an image of a dove.
China Stages a Massive Military Parade to Commemorate the End of World War II
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Read moreChinese soldiers march in formation past Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City during a military parade on September 3, 2015, in Beijing, China. #
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Read moreChinese President Xi Jinping stands in a car to review the army during a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreMembers of a military band sing during a military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreShen Jilan, wearing insignias and medals, awaits a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing on September 3, 2015. Shen, 85, is the only person in China to be elected 12 consecutive times as a member of China’s parliament, after she was appointed to China’s first National People’s Congress (NPC) in 1954, according to local media. #
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Read moreChinese veterans salute during a parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreMilitary aircraft fly above the military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreSoldiers of the People’s Liberation Army of China stand in formation as they gather ahead of a military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreChina’s People’s Liberation Army navy soldiers march at Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreChinese soldiers march in formation past Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreSoldiers of the People’s Liberation Army march in formation in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreChinese President Xi Jinping (left) talks to former President Jiang Zemin on the Tiananmen Gate, at the beginning of the military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreA man watches televisions, showing a live broadcast of China’s President Xi Jinping inspecting the army during a military parade, at a home appliances store in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on September 3, 2015. #
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Read morePeople watch as Chinese soldiers march through Tiananmen Square during a military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreMilitary nurses stand atop a truck passing the Chinese president and other leaders during the military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreMilitary vehicles carrying shore-to-ship missiles participate in a military parade at Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreSoldiers of the People’s Liberation Army look toward their president during the military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreMilitary vehicles parade DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles past Tiananmen Gate on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreA military vehicle carrying an unmanned aerial vehicle participates in a military parade at Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreChinese President Xi Jinping is displayed on a screen as Type 99A2 Chinese battle tanks take part in a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreChinese army attack helicopters form a number “70” as they fly past a national flag during a military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreRussian President Vladimir Putin watches the parade from Beijing’s Tiananmen Gate on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreA military band plays at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreMilitary aircraft fly by during the military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreDozens of Chinese military helicopters fly in formation above a military parade at Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreSoldiers of the People’s Liberation Army stand in formation during a military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreBirds are released as a crowd looks up during a military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreBalloons are released at the end of the military parade on September 3, 2015. #
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Read moreInvited guests take pictures of a mass of balloons released over Tiananmen Square during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan’s World War II defeat in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
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